Current Affairs for IAS Prelims Exam 2018: 17 July 2017

Jyoti Sharma

Jul 17, 2017 16:07 IST

Current affairs are very significant in determining the pattern of the IAS prelims question paper. Current events should be read simultaneously with the subjects like polity, economics and geography. Current affairs reading and practising MCQ questions become an indispensable activity.

Here, we have provided some important model questions on the latest happenings that affect the nation. We will continue to provide the current affairs questions for IAS Prelims 2018 to help you gain a better insight of how questions can be asked in the examination.

1. Consider the following statements regarding the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, recently seen in news:

1) The animal for slaughter will have to be bought from the farmers at the farms.2) The specific provisions apply to animals in all areas. 3) The rules are drafted by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

Which of the following above statements is true?

a. 1 and 2b. 2 and 3c. 1 and 3d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c

Explanation:

Certain provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, 2017 have been notified recently to ensure welfare of the animals in the cattle market and ensure adequate facilities for housing, feeding, feed storage area, water supply, water troughs, ramps, enclosures for sick animals, veterinary care and proper drainage etc.

• The prime focus of the regulation is to protect the animals from cruelty and not to regulate the existing trade in cattle for slaughter houses. • It is envisaged that welfare of cattle dealt in the market will be ensured and that only healthy animals are traded for agriculture purposes for the benefits of the farmers. • The livestock markets are intended to become hubs for trade for the animal for agriculture through this process and animal for slaughter they will have to be bought from the farmers at the farms. • The notified rules will remove the scope of illegal sale and smuggling of the cattle which is a major concern. • The specific provisions apply only to animals which are bought and sold in the notified live stock markets and animals that are seized as case properties. These rules do not cover other areas.

Supreme Court of India in Gauri Maulekhi versus Union of India case ordered to frame guidelines to prevent animals from the being smuggled out of India for the Gadhimai Festival held in Nepal where large scale animals sacrifices takes place.

The Supreme Court had constituted a Committee under Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB) and some suggestions were made by them, including measures to curb trans-boundary smuggling of cattle. The Supreme Court by the way of a final order directed Ministry to frame rules under Section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1960. The Animal Welfare Board of India prepared the draft rules incorporating all the suggestions made by the Supreme Court.

2. Recently, an indefinite agitation was launched by farmers regarding the long-pending issue of sharing of Mahadayi River water. The Mahadayi River water dispute is between the state of:

The Mahadayi River is described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa. The river has a length of 77 kilometres, 29 kilometres in Karnataka and 52 kilometres in Goa. It originates from a cluster of 30 springs at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. The Mandovi and the Zuari are the two primary rivers in the state of Goa.

The dispute over the sharing of the water of the Mahadayi River between the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa is over 30 years old if one were to consider the fact that attempts at negotiations were initiated by the central government as far back as 1985.

The water sharing issue reached a flashpoint in 2002 when the Karnataka government decided to implement a long pending drinking water project by building a canal across two tributaries of the Mahadayi that are Kalasa and Banduri.

3. Consider the following statements regarding the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC program, recently seen in news:

1) TISC program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).2) Services offered by TISCs include access to online patent and non-patent resources and IP-related publications.3) India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) will be established in New Delhi.

Which of the following above statements is true?

a. 1 and 2b. 2 and 3c. 1 and 3d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: a

Explanation:

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has recently signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology to establish India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC program.

The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.

WIPO’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

4. India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) global index. Which organisation releases the SDG Global Index (The SDG Index and Dashboards Report)?

a. United Nations Development Programmeb. World Trade Centrec. Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) d. All of the above

Answer: c

Explanation:

The SDG Index and Dashboards Report provide a report card for country performance on the historic Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The annual report shows how leaders can deliver on their promise and it urges countries not to lose the momentum for important reforms. It is produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In order to achieve the ambitious goals, immediate and comprehensive action is needed.

India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on a global index that assesses the performance of countries towards achieving the ambitious sustainable development goals (SDGs). Many of the richest countries in the world are nowhere near achieving the global policy objectives but also deteriorate the implementation process for poorer countries because of negative spillover effects. India is ranked 116th on the index with a score of 58.1, behind countries such as Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and China. Pakistan is ranked 122.

Sweden leads the list, followed by Denmark and Finland. Among the G7 countries, only Germany and France can be found among the top ten performers. The United States ranks 42nd on the Index, while Russia and China rank 62nd and 71st respectively.

The SDG Index and Dashboard collect available data for 157 countries to assess where each country stands in 2017 with regard to achieving the SDGs.

5. Recently, a group of scientists announced the discovery of a very large “supercluster” of galaxies. Consider the following statements regarding the galaxy, Saraswati:

1) The newly discovered Saraswati supercluster is 600 million light years across.2) The supercluster Saraswati lies in the Stripe 82 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

Which of the above statements is true?

a. Only 1b. 1 and 2c. Only 2d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: b

Explanation:

Recently, a group of scientists from IUCAA (Pune) have discovered a very large “supercluster” of galaxies. They have named it Saraswati. Galaxies are like the building blocks of the universe, they contain a huge number of stars, something like 100 billion at a count. Galaxy groups can have three to 20 galaxies; the richest systems are called clusters (like the Virgo cluster) which can have several hundred galaxies.

Superclusters are clusters of clusters. They can have as few as two clusters, and superclusters with two to four clusters are common. Saraswati has 42. Within superclusters, clusters are connected by filaments and sheets of dark matter with galaxies embedded in them. It is supposed that the galaxies are born in the filaments and then migrate towards the intersection of the filaments where they are assimilated into clusters.

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